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“Single mother, absent father, broken home,” goes the refrain of a new song Justin Townes Earle performed at the Newport Folk Festival last week. It’s a cut from his upcoming sixth album and serves as an indication that Earle has yet to shake the shadows that have followed him for most of his 31 years.

On a personal level, the trials and tribulations of a troubled life would best be left behind. But artistically, it’s a reservoir that’s served Earle well, and if a conversation back in May gives any clue, the country roots and blues-soaked tales of heartache aren’t going anywhere.

“My grandmother died, my girlfriend left me, my house flooded and my mom is not doing so well,” said Earle from his home in Nashville.

The recording for his follow-up to 2012’s “Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now” was delayed after the run of bad luck, allowing Earle some time to let the emotions run their course.

“When I’m having a super emotional time, like when my girlfriend leaves, I don’t write until several weeks after because you will write a piece of (expletive) song,” he said. “If you write like right when the breakup happens, it’ll just be too whiny, emotional, blah blah blah blah. … I wanted to step back and kind of process everything that’s happened right now before I put out a record to represent how I feel at this moment.”

Among Earle’s past (and well-documented) sources of grief is also the most immediate entry point for newcomers: his name. He’s the son of Steve Earle, though for most of his life their relationship was minimal (see: the “absent father”) and gets his middle name from family friend Townes Van Zandt.

Earle has avoided letting the weight of two renown artists’ names on his album sleeves define him, becoming a critical favorite and making his own name resonate within indie and folk rock circles. Part of what makes Earle stand out is his penchant for live shows that, as Mile of Music co-founder Cory Chisel puts it, take the audience on a ride.

“He’s just rock and roll, man. In every sense of the word,” said Chisel, who toured with Earle last year. “He’s one of two artists (over whose music) I’ve ever shed actual tears — the other was Paul McCartney. He’s in good company, in my personal opinion, of incredible performers.”

Part of Earle’s live approach includes treating the songs like living, evolving things. This leaves even those who’ve spun 2010’s “Harlem River Blues” or 2009’s “Midnight at the Movies” dozens of times hearing older songs renewed.

“I don’t listen to my own records so I don’t remember how the songs sound,” Earle said. “We have different instruments, we have different breaks, we have different solos. It’s kind of like how Dylan changes his songs; you can tell it’s the same song but, you know, there’s little difference here and there and that’s exciting to people.”